Acer America, the number two notebook provider, today announced that the Acer Iconia W700 tablet PC, a high-performance mobile PC in a tablet PC form factor, will be available for the U.S. market. Acer's first Windows 8-based tablet PC for the U.S., the Iconia W700 features a versatile, portable design that delivers a first-rate touch and typing experience for productivity-focused PC users.

The Acer Iconia W700 tablet PC with Windows 8 delivers excellent performance using responsive and fast Intel Core i3 and Core i5 (Ivy Bridge) processors, enabling the system to take on spreadsheets, presentations, and more with ease. The powerful processors allow customers to use the Iconia W700 as their main PC for all of their everyday computing tasks, such as content creation, running multiple apps, and sharing multimedia.

The Acer Iconia W700's 11.6-inch IPS display boasts a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080) resolution. Photos and video are vibrant and stunning, while text, documents and websites are crisp and clear. The Intel HD Graphics 4000 further improves the clarity and realism, while the high-brightness display enables viewing even in sunlight. The touch-screen display allows 10-point touch for easy navigation through websites, music and media files, as well as all the apps available for Windows 8.

The tablet PC's first-rate performance is complemented by its versatility. The Iconia W700 comes with a multipurpose cradle that securely houses it in several different positions. When using it in landscape, the cradle can be tilted up to 70 degrees for enhanced viewing, or 20 degrees for convenient touch. It can also be used vertically in portrait mode for easy browsing and reading.

"The Acer Iconia W700 brings the performance and productivity of a high-end PC to the tablet category," said Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product marketing, Acer America. "Sporting a new style, innovative design and aluminum unibody construction, the new tablet PC is designed to reach new standards in ergonomics and user-friendliness, while providing the ideal platform for customers to take advantage of the many new features of Windows 8."

Users will appreciate that the Acer Iconia W700 is incredibly portable; it measures less than half an inch thick and weighs only 2.3 pounds. It provides up to eight hours of battery life for all-day productivity. The W700's 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi provides a quick and reliable connection to hotspots. In addition, the Iconia W700 tablet PC can take advantage of location-based and travel applications with its integrated G-Sensor, E-Compass and Gyro-Meter.

The Iconia W700 features a 128GB or 64GB SSD for powering on the device and retrieving data quickly and securely. With it, the Iconia W700 features the unique Acer Green Instant On technology to provide a fast boot time of just six seconds, as well as instant-resume functionality in 1.5 seconds. Acer Always Connect gets users online to previously used hotspots in as little as 2.5 seconds for better productivity.(4) Plus, AcerCloud makes digital content easy to access and share between their Iconia W700 and other PCs anytime, anywhere.

Capturing images and staying in touch with others is easy thanks to the built-in Acer Crystal Eye webcam. The HD 5MP rear camera captures full HD 1080p video and first-rate photos with auto focus. The front-facing HD 720p camera is ideal for video conferencing and photo-taking for social networks. Dolby Home Theater v4 boosts sound for headphones as well as built-in speakers. Plus, the dialogue enhancer makes audio capture even more crisp and clear for video conferencing and video emails.

The versatile new Iconia W700 comes loaded with the accessories that will make savvy consumers even more productive. The Bluetooth keyboard provides more convenient content creation and editing in Windows 8. Plus, the tablet PC comes with a MicroHDMI to VGA adapter for a convenient and quick connection to a projector. Since customers will want to take it everywhere, the Iconia W700 also comes with a protective case.

The Acer Iconia W700 will be available on Oct. 26 at leading retailers across the U.S. in several configurations. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices range from $799.99 to $999.99.

A number of Windows 8 tablets will have docs that will add keyboard, pointing device, USB ports, battery power and that hinge you spoke of.

I don’t think the Acer Iconia W700 has that though given its doc has this sliding in system with no physical keyboard attachment. It does have a choice of Core i3 and Core i5 (Ivy Bridge) processors though and Intel Thunderbolt port.

The max SSD option at 128GB seems a little small. The Asus Eee Slate EP121 Core i5 tablet PC uses a mSATA slot and is easily upgraded (same for Bluetooth / WiFi card) but I’m not sure how easy it would be to upgrade the Acer Iconia W700.

Acer recently axed the Thunderbolt port. There goes the possibility of pairing it up with a GTX 680.

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Good call,....

I noticed they omitted Intel Thunderbolt from the press release, which, should have tipped me off. Its too bad, as that was a distinguishing factor and now I don’t really see what sets it apart from other offerings.